US Crimea sanctions to stay

The Trump administration threw its support unequivocally behind Ukraine Tuesday in that country’s ongoing conflict with Russia, informing the Kremlin that U.S. sanctions will remain in place until Russia ends its occupation of Crimea.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told the U.N. Security Council that the U.S. does believe a better relationship with Moscow is possible, but not at the expense of the security of friends and allies in Europe.

“That is why the United States calls on Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she said. “That is why we continue to urge Russia to show a commitment to peace – by fully implementing the commitments under the Minsk agreements and ending its occupation of Crimea.”

Haley said the U.S. and European Union were in lockstep over keeping sanctions in place until the Minsk agreements – ceasefire deals negotiated between Ukraine’s government and Russian-backed separatists in the country’s east – were fully honored by Russia.

In addition, she said, “our separate Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine.”